Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 release date: Food Wars! ‘Season 5’ anime based on the manga to be called Shokugeki no Soma: Shi no Sara (Food Wars! The Fourth Plate)?

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 will have Erina and Soma teaming up for the epic conclusion of the Regiment de Cuisine

Will the real Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 please stand up? The last season of the popular ecchi/cooking anime series, Food Wars! The Third Plate, was a bit confusing to some fans since it was one of those rare split-cour seasons where a single season takes a three-month broadcasting break before resuming. In fact, some anime fans are mistakenly looking for news about Food Wars! Season 5 already.

The second half of the third season was officially labeled as Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc and finished off with Episode 24 on June 25, 2018, but the real fourth season should be called Shokugeki no Soma: Shi no Sara (Food Wars! The Fourth Plate). But the real question is, does the Shokugeki no Soma manga provide enough chapters for animation studio J.C. Staff to quickly serve up another anime helping?

The story of Soma Yukihira, Erina Nakiri, and other characters is based on the Food Wars! manga series by writer Yuto Tsukuda and illustrator Shun Saeki. The manga series is already up to Volume 29. The English translation by VIZ Media is up to Volume 24 and Volume 25 is scheduled to release on August 7, 2018. Volume 26 is set for October 2, 2018, and Volume 27 for December 4, 2018.

J.C. Staff aired the first two-cour season of the anime adaptation during the spring of 2015. The Second Plate was a shorter one-cour that aired a year later in 2016. The first half of the Third Plate finished in December 2017, whereas the second half found an ending in the middle of the Promotion Exams story arc. Therefore, based on the pattern set thus far, it is very likely that the number of episodes for Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 will be 12 once again.

This article provides everything that is known about Food Wars! Season 4 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Manga Compared To The Anime

The second cour of the third season was one of those rare anime where even fans of the manga believe the anime did a better job of presenting the story. Some chapters were skimmed or skipped, but the Regiment de Cuisine matches were reorganized so that concurrent events flowed better in comparison to the jumping around and flashbacks that occurred in the manga.

Here is a guide for how the anime episodes adapted the manga chapters:

Episode 13: Chapters, 167, 168, 170, and 171

Episode 14: Chapters 172, 173, 174, and 175

Episode 15: Chapters 172, 176, 177, 178, and 179

Episode 16: Chapters 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, and 188

Episode 17: Chapters 184, 185, 186, and 187

Episode 18: Chapters 188, 189, 190, 191, and 192

Episode 19: Chapters 193, 194, 200, and 201

Episode 20: Chapters 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205

Episode 21: Chapters 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, and 205

Episode 22: Chapters 206, 207, 208, and 209

Episode 23: Chapters 210, 211, 215, and 216

Episode 24: Chapters 211, 212, 213, 214, and 217

The second cour of the third season adapted about half of the 92 chapters comprising the Promotion Exams story arc, which ends with Chapter 263. The good news is that there is enough source material for Food Wars! Season 4 to be produced in 2019. The bad news is that the manga is only up to Chapter 268, so there’s currently only enough manga chapters available for creating a single-cour fourth season.

The cover art for Food Wars! Volume 29

Food Wars! Season 4 Release Date: The Ride Should Start Up Again Quickly

As of the last update, J.C. Staff or any company related to the production of the anime has not officially confirmed the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 release date. Nor has the production of a sequel been announced. Once the news is officially confirmed this article will be updated with the relevant information. In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the Food Wars! Season 4 premiere date will occur in the future.

Considering how the manga’s plot is laid out, it makes sense to finish the current story arc and leave a future story arc for a two-cour Shokugeki no Soma Season 5. The ending of the Promotion Exams story arc is a good stopping point, especially considering that the next unfinished story arc seems likely to be a short one. In the best case scenario, Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 will be announced during the second half of 2018 and the premiere could be during the winter or spring 2019 anime season. It’s certainly not going to happen in 2018 since J.C. Staff is working on two big projects this fall, including One Punch Man Season 2 and A Certain Magical Index Season 3.

However, it’s possible J.C. Staff could wait for the manga to get further ahead of the anime. The manga is released weekly, so by the beginning of 2019, the series should be at or around Chapter 295. Over its 61 episodes, the anime series has averaged about 3.5 manga chapters per episode, which means there needs to be around 42 to 48 new chapters available for producing a second cour. That means there will be enough manga chapters for a two-cour season by early 2019, although the anime probably wouldn’t release until later in 2019 (unless the fourth season is another split-cour season).

Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 Spoilers

The Third Plate’s train ride may have ended but the Regiment de Cuisine still has a ways to go. Soma Yukihira surprised everyone by stir-frying soba noodles and winning with his Yukihira Style Barley Flour Soba, but that only finishes off the 1st Bout.

The remaining four bouts will pit the rebels against the Central. Soma will be taking a breather at first, while Terunori Kuga faces off against 1st seat Eishi Tsukasa in a wished-for revenge match. Tsukasa actually forgot Kuga’s name after their first Shookugeki, so Kuga is out to prove he’s not just some random face in the crowd that’s easily forgotten.

As with past episodes, the cooking will be intermixed with flashbacks that explain the backstory and thus motivations for the chefs. For example, one of the “ingredients”, a live alligator, manages to (briefly) escape Rindou Kobayashi’s hands in the middle of a Shokugeki! She butchers the alligator on the spot (PETA will not approve) and entertains audiences with her rare ingredients expertise.

The 1 vs 1 matches start off with an interesting choice for a culinary theme

Without getting into detail, here is a list of the remaining culinary themes that end up being picked via the lottery drawing system.

2nd Bout

Green Tea (Not just a drink; they create dishes which use the flavor and aroma of green tea leaves.)

Chili Peppers

Tuna

3rd Bout

Butter (This is where Soma enters the fray once again. Both competitors end up going the seafood route.)

Beef

Apple

4th Bout

Muscovado Sugar (Erina Nakiri’s first match in the Regiment de Cuisine.)

Wild Rabbit

Spear Squid

The bouts whittle down the ranks of the remaining chefs until only two people are left standing on each side. And, of course, there will be some ecchi moments.

Clothing continues to be optional when the cooking is amazing

The always slick headmaster Azami Nakamura also tries to pull a fast one in the middle of the tournament by replacing the three judges…with himself.

He claims he wants to be a judge because he never got to taste his daughter Erina’s cooking during the Moon Banquet Festival. When others rightfully object, he pulls in two other respected WGO (World Gourmet Officers) officers to serve as replacement judges, thus stacking the deck against the Rebels.

Surprisingly, Senzaemon Nakiri sides with Azami, which means Azami has hijacked the judging panel. But Soma is calm during the whole affair, calling it a lucky break since now Azami himself has joined the battle of his own free will.

Soma relishes the chance to take on Azami, even if only indirectly

The 5th Bout is where things will get a bit more interesting. Senzaemon proposes a two-versus-two cooking match, with each team member creating a complimentary appetizer and main dish. Azami agrees to the terms for the final round of the Regiment de Cuisine.

Unlike the previous bouts, there is no clearly-defined culinary theme for creating the dish, which means there are no boundaries. The only stipulation is that the dish must represent true gourmet cooking.

Soma Yukihira and Erina Nakiri must work together since they’re the last two remaining Rebels. They’ll be facing off against Rindo Kobayashi and Eishi Tsukasa for determining the fate of the Totsuki Culinary Academy. Will Soma be able to overcome Azami’s biased tastebuds?

Unfortunately, anime fans will have to wait until Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Season 4 to find out what happens next. Let’s just hope J.C. Staff does not make audiences wait too long. Stay tuned!